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Socioeconomics
<br />Table 6. Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County population, 1990 and 1997.
<br />Annual Growth Total Growth
<br />1990 1997 1990-1997 1990-1997
<br />Eugene 112,669 129,300 2.10 % 14.76%
<br />Springfield 44,664 50,670 1.91% 13.40%
<br />Lane County 282,912 308,500 1.29% 9.00%
<br />Source: Oregon Economic Development Department, Eugene community profile, 1999.
<br />Long-term population forecasts for Lane County and the state of Oregon indicate similar rates of
<br />growth for both the county and the state between 2000 and 2015 (Table 7). (Population growth
<br />is generally not predicted for cities; counties are the smallest political entities for which
<br />predictions are made.) Growth in the county is expected to average 1.33 percent during the first
<br />15 years of the new millennium, and growth in the state is expected to average 1.34 percent
<br />during the same time period. During the latter part of the forecast period, between 2015 and
<br />2040, the population growth rates in Lane County and the state are expected to average 1.09 and
<br />1.08 percent, respectively. Under this forecast, the population in Lane County would exceed
<br />500,000 by 2040, and the population of Oregon would reach 5 million shortly after the year
<br />2035.
<br />Table 7. Long-term population forecast for Oregon and Lane County (in thousands).
<br />1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040
<br />Oregon 3,132 3,406 3,631 3,857 4,091 4,326 4,556 4,776 4,988 5,193
<br />Lane County 301.9 331.5 352.9 374.5 397.4 419.9 442.3 464.0 485.1 505.2
<br />Source: Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, Department of Administrative Services, August 19, 1997.
<br />Housing
<br />According to information contained in the 1990 U. S. Census, there were 47,931 housing units in
<br />the city of Eugene, with a vacancy rate of 3.6 percent. Slightly more than half (23,483) of the
<br />housing units were owner-occupied, and the remainder (22,791) were rentals. During the same
<br />period, there were 18,121 housing units in the city of Springfield, with a vacancy rate of 3.70
<br />percent. Slightly less than half (8,599) were owner-occupied, and the rest (8,848) were rental
<br />units. In 1990, mortgage payments averaged $678 per month in Eugene and $554 in Springfield.
<br />The median rent was $425 in Eugene and $423 in Springfield (Oregon Economic Development
<br />Department 1999). By 1998, average rents in the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area had
<br />increased to $468 for aone-bedroom unit, $563 for atwo-bedroom unit, and $683 for athree-
<br />bedroom unit (Duncan & Brown 1998).
<br />During the spring of 1999 the overall vacancy rate for the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area
<br />was 4.98 percent (Duncan & Brown 1999). (Recent vacancy rates for owner-occupied units are
<br />not available, but the vacancy rate for rental units is generally higher than that for owner-
<br />Final EIS 106 New Federal Courthouse
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